'Yes he is one of the fast bowlers we have, but...': Kapil Dev's candid take on Jasprit Bumrah's decision of playing three Tests against England

India's legendary captain Kapil Dev weighed in on pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who had opted to play only three of the five Tests in the series to manage his workload, given his injury-prone past. India's head coach and Bumrah himself confirmed that the legendary pacer will play only three Tests of the Anderson Tendulkar Trophy 2025 because of workload management.

Kapil Dev backed Bumrah's decision to play a feature in three Tests of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025.

"I think everybody is different. Times have changed, bodies are different. They are working differently. It is difficult to judge. Yes he is one of the fast bowlers we have but his action is so awkward and it is difficult to sustain," the 1983 World Cup winning captain said.

Kapil also admitted that he didn't think Bumrah would have a longer career because the speedster puts too much stress on the body.

ALSO READ: Asia Cup 2025 to start from September 9 with Afghanistan vs Hong Kong clash, India will face Pakistan on this date: Check full schedule

ALSO READ: Asia Cup 2025 schedule: India-Pakistan clash on September 14, final to be played on September 28, Check India’s full fixture list

"We didn't think he will be able to play this far because he takes too much stress on the body. But still he is delivering to the Indian team. So hats off to him."

Kapil Dev also backed Shubman Gill who is currently facing a lot of criticism because of India's performance in the England Test series. Gill was named captain ahead of the ongoing five-Test series against England and led the side to a historic win at Birmingham, but India are down 1-2 in the series and they are staring down the barrel in the fourth Test at Manchester.

"Give him time. This is his first series, he will commit mistakes and there will be many positives over the period of time, he will learn. There is no problem if he is learning. There will be mistakes, but he is learning from his mistakes that is very important," Kapil, who is the president of PGTI, said on the sidelines of the PGTI Schedule announcement for the second half of 2025.

"This is a young team, they are getting the opportunity to play and in the coming days these players will win. It is just a new team. Any new team in the world takes time to adjust. Gill is a new captain, and he will learn a lot and I think this series will be a learning step."

Asked to comment on England captain Ben Stokes, Kapil said he ranks Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja higher than the Englishman.

"I don't want to compare. Stokes is a good all-rounder, but I still feel Jadeja is ahead. He is performing far better," Kapil said.